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Love of Rivers Leads Man to Collect 7 Million Pounds of Trash

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Jul 27, 2011

river-trashman-chad-pregracke

He has been on a labor of love since he was 17 — hauling litter, tires, and even rusty cars out of the nation’s rivers. Spearheading 500 cleanups he’s pulled 70 million pounds of trash from the water and water’s edge, including 775 refrigerators, with the help of thousands of volunteers.

For the past 13 years, Chad Pregracke has brought together donors, boats, barges, and even cranes to help him finish a job he started in high school, cleaning up every river in the country.

He was featured last Friday in the NBC Nightly News Making a Difference segment. Last fall he was named the Hardest Working Man in America (story on GNN).

Music and Grace Save Kids in Poor Havana Neighborhood

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Jul 27, 2011

dance school Havana, NBC video clip

A world-renown dancer is coaching thousands of Havana’s poorest children in her dance studio which welcomes everyone, no matter their size or economic status.

She saves kids from the barrio, who are often in trouble, by teaching them to dance.

“I try getting into their hearts, into their souls.”

Music and Grace Save Kids in Poor Havana Neighborhood

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Jul 27, 2011

dance school Havana, NBC video clip

A world-renown dancer is coaching thousands of Havana’s poorest children in her dance studio which welcomes everyone, no matter their size or economic status.

She saves kids from the barrio, who are often in trouble, by teaching them to dance.

“I try getting into their hearts, into their souls.”

Paralyzed Bride Says ‘I Do’ After Getting Home Makeover and Wedding Donated

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Jul 27, 2011

wedding wheelchair bride, via home video

A freak accident during her bachelorette party left Rachel Chapman in a wheelchair. Despite the upheaval, there was never any doubt the two would get married.

“It was never, ‘what am I going to do’, said her new husband. “It was always, ‘what are we going to do’.

Last week Rachel finally got to wear her wedding dress, at an marriage ceremony and reception donated by the folks at 1-800-Registry, who heard their story on the Today show.

WATCH the video below from MSNBC…

NASCAR Driver Jeff Gordon’s Generosity Continues With Congo Trip to Help Refugees

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Jul 26, 2011

Jeff Gordon in 2007, by Kim Phillips -CC license

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon just returned from a week-long trip in Africa working with the Rethink Refugees foundation to find better ways to help people in Congo.

“It was the most incredible experience of my life,” said Gordon, who went on the trip with leaders from the Clinton Global Initiative.

Gordon is no stranger to charity work, particularly now that his Sprint Cup car is backed by the AARP’s Drive to End Hunger campaign. Last weekend, Gordon visited a food bank in Manchester where he presented a $10,000 donation. Next week brings another fundraiser for the Riley Children’s Hospital in the form of Gordon’s annual celebrity bowling event.

His foundation also funds pediatric cancer and a children’s hospital, and has in six years exceeded $1 million in annual contributions.

Walmart’s Big Plan To Feed The Food Deserts Of The U.S.

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Jul 26, 2011

Fresh produce on shelf, "Locally Grown"

Teaming up with Michelle Obama, the discount giant is moving into neighborhoods where there are no grocery stores. Altruism or savvy business move? A little of both.

Walmart announced this week that it will open up to 300 new locations over the next five years in food deserts across the country. These locations, along with the 218 stores in food deserts that Walmart has opened over the past four years, will serve 1.3 million people–many of whom have no other option for fresh produce and unprocessed foods other than Walmart.

“By opening stores where customers need them most, Walmart will help build healthier families and stronger communities.”

NFL Players Accept 10-Year Contract, Send Thank-You Video to Fans

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Jul 26, 2011

football

The National Football League began reopening for business after player union leaders announced a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the league owners Monday.

Players return to teams’ training facilities today and some teams begin their training camps Wednesday, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, NFL players, knowing the lockout took a toll on their fans, contributed to a thank you video released by their union, the NFLPA, on YouTube.

Canada Pledges $50 Million to Famine Relief in Africa

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Jul 26, 2011

Hunger in Ethiopia -USAID photo

The Canadian government is pledging an additional $50 million in aid for famine-relief efforts in East Africa and urging Canadians to be generous in donations toward alleviating the growing humanitarian crisis in the region.

In addition to government funds, Ottawa will match any donations Canadians make individually to charities working on drought-relief efforts in the region.

Mandela Legacy Brings Shelter to NW Poor

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Jul 26, 2011

Nelson Mandela Foundation photo

Destitute villagers of Seolong outside Rustenburg in the North West will soon have roofs over their heads, thanks to the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

The foundations were dug for the start of construction on 50 houses for people with disabilities, child headed families and the elderly.

This was done through the campaign, Take action, inspire and change, aimed at celebrating the 93rd birthday of former President Nelson Mandela.

Large Hadron Collider Results Excite Scientists

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Jul 25, 2011

NASA photo of a nebula, via Hubble space telescope — The Ant Nebula - Credit NASA

The Large Hadron Collider has picked up tantalizing fluctuations which might – or might not – be hints of the sought-after Higgs boson particle.

One of the primary goals of the collider is to search for hints of the Higgs, which is the last missing piece in most widely accepted theory of particle physics.

Without the Higgs, physicists cannot explain why particles have mass.

Gates Gives $42 Million to Safe Sanitation Projects for Reinventing the Toilet

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Jul 25, 2011

PUR water packet

More than 2.6 billion people around the world don’t have access to a toilet. Now, the world’s largest charitable foundation is launching an effort to bring safe, clean sanitation to millions of poor people in the developing world.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $42 million in grants to encourage innovation in the capture, storage and repurposing of waste as an energy resource.

Young Baseball Fan’s Act of Generosity Caught on TV

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Jul 24, 2011

Good Samaritan rewarded at baseball game (ABC video)

TV cameras were focused on two boys who tried to catch the same ball at an Arizona Diamondbacks game. The gesture of kindness displayed afterward surprised the broadcast announcers in the booth.

The boy’s generosity was paid back tenfold, as the baseball club rewarded him for his good deed.

(WATCH the video below, one a follow-up segment, from ABC News)

Young Baseball Fan’s Act of Generosity Caught on TV

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Jul 24, 2011

Good Samaritan rewarded at baseball game (ABC video)

TV cameras were focused on two boys who tried to catch the same ball at an Arizona Diamondbacks game. The gesture of kindness displayed afterward surprised the broadcast announcers in the booth.

The boy’s generosity was paid back tenfold, as the baseball club rewarded him for his good deed.

Thanks to Kathleen Allen for submitting the story!

Canada’s Crime Rate Falls to Lowest in 40 Years

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Jul 24, 2011

Canada’s crime rate fell to its lowest in almost 40 years, Statistics Canada reported on Thursday, extending a positive two-decade trend.

Crime last year dropped a further 5 percent from 2009 to the lowest rate since 1973, the government agency said.

North and South Korea Hold “Constructive” Talks

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Jul 24, 2011

North Korea-flag

South and North Korea held high-level talks for the first time in two years on Friday, and said they would work to resume the stalled six-party dialogue for nuclear disarmament on the Korean peninsula.

The surprise meeting between their nuclear envoys led to an announcement on Saturday by North Korea proposing the restart of stalled six-party talks on nuclear disarmament, without preconditions and as soon as possible.

Logging Plummets in Monarch Butterfly Mexico Reserve

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Jul 23, 2011

Monarch photo by HaarFager - CC license

Good news for the Monarch butterflies and their wintering grounds in central Mexico: The clearing of forests used by the butterflies has dropped to just over one acre’s worth of trees, compared to the hundreds of acres lost annually in the past.

And fewer of the pine and fir trees that shelter the butterflies have been lost to bad weather this year, experts said Thursday, from Mexico’s National Autonomous University and the Monarch Fund.

A New Idea for U.S. Aid: Political Reform for Foreign Assistance

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Jul 22, 2011

Bill Gates Foundation with farmers in Africa

President Obama issued a directive for U.S. development policy in September 2010, which called for social and political reforms as a prerequisite for foreign assistance, along more investment from the private sector. And, only one year into the project, U.S. government executives at a Washington conference Jully 12 reported on genuine progress.

A few decades ago, U.S. government assistance made up 70 percent of the funds going from this country overseas, Littlefield said.

“And now today, it’s completely reversed. Eighty percent of the money flowing from the [United States] to the developing world is private capital,” said the president of OPIC, a government agency providing loans and investment insurance to American businesses operating overseas.

A New Idea for U.S. Aid: Political Reform for Foreign Assistance

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Jul 22, 2011

Bill Gates Foundation with farmers in Africa

President Obama issued a directive for U.S. development policy in 2010 that called for social and political reforms as a prerequisite for foreign assistance, along with more investment from the private sector. Just one year into the project, U.S. government executives at a Washington conference Jully 12 reported on genuine progress.

A few decades ago, U.S. government assistance made up 70 percent of the funds going from this country overseas, Littlefield said.

“And now today, it’s completely reversed. Eighty percent of the money flowing from the [United States] to the developing world is private capital,” said the president of OPIC, a government agency providing loans and investment insurance to American businesses operating overseas.

Mayor Bloomberg Donates $50 Million To Sierra Club for Anti-Coal Campaign

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Jul 21, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg w/ electric-car charger, Spencer Tucker photo

New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving the Sierra Club a substantial gift — $50 million to put toward battling coal-fired power plants across the nation.

The donation will go straight toward the “Beyond Coal” campaign that will target the nations oldest and worst-pollution coal power plants, get them shut down, and replace them with renewable energy.

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